Managing Director

Toluna; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Performance bonus

Private medical insurance

Life insurance

Hybrid work setup

Central London office

Job summary

Toluna ID in London seeks a Managing Director to lead and grow the local market, combining consultancy and agency solutions with AI-powered research. Drive sustainable revenue growth, build a high-performing commercial team, and strengthen client partnerships across the UK market.

Senior leader responsible for market strategy, forecasts, key client engagements, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver exceptional client experience. Hybrid work in Central London offered.

Qualifications

• Significant commercial leadership experience within market research, consultancy or related industries.
• Proven success leading commercial teams and delivering revenue growth.
• Extensive experience selling market research, consultancy, technology, and/or data-driven insights solutions.
• Strong network of senior client relationships across the UK Market Research and Consultancy sector.
• Demonstrated ability to acquire, develop, and expand strategic client partnerships.
• Deep understanding of quantitative research methodologies and consultative engagement.
• Ability to act as a strategic advisor addressing business challenges with research solutions.
• Experience managing forecasting, budgeting, pipeline management, and commercial planning.
• Strong leadership to coach and develop high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence stakeholders through collaboration and strategic thinking.
• Hands-on, entrepreneurial mindset balancing strategy and execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead the overall commercial strategy and execution for the local market, ensuring sustainable growth across consultancy, full-service research, technology solutions, and data collection offerings.
• Deliver and exceed market KPIs, including bookings, revenue, profitability, and pipeline targets.
• Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing commercial team, fostering accountability and collaboration.
• Coach senior commercial team members in consultative selling and client relationship development.
• Own and manage the market pipeline and forecasting process with accurate reporting.
• Develop strategic account plans for key clients, expanding partnerships and identifying growth opportunities.
• Lead high-value client engagements, strategic pitches, and executive-level business development initiatives.
• Build strong relationships with senior decision-makers as a trusted advisor on research and insights.
• Drive new business acquisition and market expansion through consultative sales and thought leadership.
• Partner with Client Service, Operations, Supply, and other cross-functional teams to ensure delivery of client solutions.
• Represent Toluna at industry events and thought leadership initiatives to strengthen market presence.
• Champion innovation including AI-powered research solutions and emerging methodologies.

Skills

Commercial leadership

Market research

Consultancy sales

Strategic account management

Client relationships

Forecasting & budgeting

Leadership & coaching

Stakeholder management

Entrepreneurial mindset

AI-powered insights

Job description

At Toluna, we keep the world's biggest agencies, consultancies and brands, one step ahead of their markets, their competitors, and their customers. For 25+ years we've been a leader in consumer insights, and today we're at the centre of our industry's biggest shift: the move to AI-powered research grounded in real human truth.

Clients come to us because we've solved a problem most of our industry is still wrestling with: how to move fast without losing trust in the answer. Speed comes from AI we've been developing in-house since 2019, always-on platforms, and a 79M+ validated consumer community across 100+ countries.

Introduction

We are seeking a Managing Director within our Toluna ID division, to lead and grow our local business, driving commercial excellence across both consultancy and agency solutions. This role combines strategic business leadership with deep expertise in market research and insights consulting. The Managing Director will be responsible for delivering sustainable revenue growth, building and developing a high-performing commercial team, strengthening client partnerships, and ensuring Toluna remains a trusted strategic partner.

The successful candidate will act as the senior leader for the market, overseeing business performance, leading key client relationships, driving new business growth, and fostering a collaborative culture that aligns with Toluna's values and strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

• Lead the overall commercial strategy and execution for the local market, ensuring sustainable growth across consultancy, full-service research, technology solutions, and data collection offerings.
• Deliver and exceed market-level commercial KPIs, including bookings, revenue, profitability, and pipeline targets.
• Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing commercial team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous development.
• Coach senior commercial team members in consultative selling, strategic account management, and client relationship development.
• Own and manage the market pipeline and forecasting process, ensuring accurate reporting and visibility of business performance.
• Develop and drive strategic account plans for key clients, expanding existing partnerships and identifying new growth opportunities.
• Lead high-value client engagements, strategic pitches, and executive-level business development initiatives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior decision-makers across client organisations, acting as a trusted advisor on research, insights, and business challenges.
• Drive new business acquisition and market expansion opportunities through consultative sales and thought leadership.
• Partner with Client Service, Operations, Supply, and other cross-functional teams to ensure the successful delivery of client solutions and excellent client experience.
• Represent Toluna at industry events, conferences, client forums, and thought leadership initiatives, strengthening the company's market presence and reputation.
• Champion innovation, including the adoption of AI-powered research solutions and emerging methodologies that create value for clients.

Your Profile

• Significant commercial leadership experience within the market research, consumer insights, consultancy, or related industries.
• Proven success leading commercial teams and delivering sustained revenue and bookings growth.
• Extensive experience selling market research, consultancy, technology, and/or data-driven insights solutions.
• Strong network of senior client relationships across the UK Market Research and Consultancy sector
• Demonstrated ability to acquire, develop, and expand strategic client partnerships.
• Deep understanding of quantitative research methodologies, insights generation, and consultative client engagement.
• Ability to act as a strategic advisor, helping clients address business challenges through research and insight solutions.
• Experience managing market-level forecasting, budgeting, pipeline management, and commercial planning.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to coach, motivate, and develop high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to positively influence internal and external stakeholders through collaboration, persuasion, and strategic thinking.
• Hands-on, entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to balance strategic leadership and commercial execution.

Our Values

• Acting with Ownership - Demonstrating individual accountability
• Bringing a forward mindset - Being action-oriented, bold and entrepreneurial
• Collaborating with Curiosity - Exhibiting teamwork through togetherness
• Discussing openly, committing jointly - Sharing your views openly
• Embracing empathy - Being egoless & caring

What We Offer

At Toluna, we’re all about creating a welcoming, diverse workplace where everyone can thrive. We offer competitive pay, great benefits, and plenty of opportunities to grow within our global team. Inclusion and respect are at the heart of what we do. Our community connects over 72 million people across 70 countries. If you're passionate about making an impact, we'd love to have you on board.

• Professional & personal growth: Training opportunities and career development plan.
• Financial package: Competitive salary, performance bonus.
• Health: Private medical insurance, Life insurance
• Office Comfort: We’ve recently relocated to a new office in Central London, providing a modern, comfortable, and accessible space for our team.
• Work-Life Balance: We work in a hybrid setup, combining office presence with flexibility.

Join our global team. We welcome big thinking and reward great work.